Article Archive

Meem - Meem Spirited

Author: Jane Stabler

Sunday, 20 April 2008

3D’s Jane Stabler talks with local electronic artist Meem about his new EP, Bumpy.There are an increasing number of electro acts that are growing through a traditional electronic feel to a more organic approach to their sound. One such DJ and producer is local boy Michael Boebus, or Meem, and when you consider he started life on a farm, perhaps the musical journey to an organic place isn’t so strange.

“I feel like the black sheep of the family,” the talented Meem laughs of his rural origins. “It’s quite strange going home and trying to relate. My mum and dad have always been really supportive because they knew it’s what I wanted to do, [but the music industry is] a world so removed from where I come from. With the internet it’s easier for people not living in the cities to access music where they couldn’t [have] 20 years ago. I was lucky enough when I was growing up that I could pick up triple j, and that’s where I first heard electronic music late night. The exposure through that led me on to other things.”

Now a celebrated part of Sydney’s thriving dance scene, Meem is about to let his latest musical offering, Bumpy, loose for the dance community. Despite his less than expected path to a musical career, the title of the EP isn’t actually a reference to how he feels about the journey to where he’s at now.

“I took the name [from] a puppet show at Carriageworks last year,” he admits. “One of the characters was called Bumpy. The story was about this little character who bumps into things and they make a noise and he picks up these noises to make music and make sound, and then there’s a monster. If you read into it, the monster represents the music industry and he eats Bumpy.”

Interesting concept, and an interesting analogy, but regardless of how he may view the industry in which he earns his keep, Meem is a man with a passion for music. His love of both DJing and producing means he is a very busy man, not to mention he also manages to squeeze in hosting a weekly funk-oriented radio show. As well as dedicating his on air time to the funk genre, Meem’s own music is definitely heavily influenced by the sound.

“I’m influenced by so many different genres of music,” he considers. “When I was growing up I listened to a lot of indie music and then I heard electronic and I wanted to get into it. I always had a thing for funk, the syncopation and energy behind it. Funk and disco sort of really stood out for me.”

With his turntable loving fingers in multiple pies, Meem is certainly not a man with a lot of spare time. With three equally demanding roles on the go simultaneously, the DJ come producer come radio host admits that while free time is a bit of a rare luxury, his passion for music means he wouldn’t have it any other way.

“Sometimes I wish there were three of me,” he laughs. “I like sharing everything around, but at different times I’m working on an interview for radio, then later on I’ll be sifting through some new tracks for DJing and I’ll try to squeeze in some remixing later in the week. It’s a really luxurious, lucky position to be in.”